We just got back from our family beach vacation to Edisto Beach, South Carolina. We had a fun filled trip to our happy place and given the pandemic, I am super happy we were able to make our annual trip happen! And please let it be known that I am totally procrastinating unpacking and starting laundry in writing this post 🙂

Drew’s family had a house on the beach for over 50 years, last year their family sold the house and thankfully we wanted to keep the tradition alive despite being in a different house. We rented a house called “Doc House” that is right next to the marina and an open recreation area. It is a perfect location as the boys were able to ride their scooters, fly kites in the open field and get their toddler energy out. Plus the house is on Big Bay Creek which allows us to hop right on the boat for evening cruises, not to mention it has a gorgeous view.

After spending the night in Charleston with close friends, we headed to the island on Sunday afternoon. As soon as we got to the house, we quickly unpacked and headed out for a boat ride. At the point where the creek and the ocean meet, there are a ton of dolphins. It is so magical seeing dolphins in the wild; they are beautiful creatures and they just put you at ease. It was a blast getting to be so close to them.

Most mornings, we ventured out to the beach for time in the sand and water. Reid loved swimming (or floating) in the water and wanted to spend the majority of his time in the ocean. Walker, on the other hand, wanted to dig in the sand and build “sand castles” and proceed to destroy them. It was so fun watching how proud he was of himself for building sand castles and the joy of watching him stomp on them. Both of the boys loved going to the beach, even though they love doing two different things!

Following beach time, we would go back to the house for showers and lunch. My mother-in-law made amazing shrimp salad that paired nicely with thick bacon and juicy tomatoes on toasted bread. I think we ate enough shrimp during the week to last at least a month or two!

Following lunch time, the boys took naps and my in-laws stayed to nap or have downtime while the boys napped. This allowed Drew and me to take golf cart rides, go for runs, paddle board and just hang out by ourselves. It was nice to have a mid-afternoon break to ourselves.

Following naps, we would load up the boat and fill up our cocktail glasses for a evening boat ride. It was fun having the boys take turns “driving” the boat and listening to music in the marsh. One afternoon, we went on the big water to see Botany Bay. It was fun getting to explore and have time on the water with family.

Following our evening boat cruises, my mother-in-law cooked fantastic meals. I am talking meals that are restaurant quality! I am not a cook, I will not pretend to be one, nor do I honestly want to be one (I do have dreams of someday being an amazing cook, but right now its all about putting food on the table that little ones will eat!). While I may not be the best cook, I certainly appreciate when someone takes the time to prepare a fantastic meal. It was great having tasty meals all week long, especially when it involved shrimp 🙂

After putting the kids to bed for the night (which is a whole other story about sleeping while traveling–God bless everyone having to deal with bedtime on vacation ha!), the adults would enjoy a glass of wine on the back porch while enjoying good conversation and search for shooting stars. Something about sitting on the back porch, listening to the water and star gazing really is magical!

We had a great time relaxing and enjoying everyone’s company. There is nothing more that I treasure than time spent with my family. Watching Drew teach the boys how to fly a kite, drive the boat and float in the ocean makes me so happy. My toddlers are becoming little boys so quickly and I am thankful that we have a family tradition to carry on with them for years to come. I hope someday they will look back on our trips to Edisto and think of it as their happy place too 🙂

Now off to start a load of laundry and finally unpack our bags!